Gameweek 4 Review – Saturday, Sunday & Monday

Costa and Cesc Run Riot
Chelsea’s summer signings continue to make the difference for Jose Mourinho and Fantasy managers alike. For the second week running, Costa shrugged off a hamstring problem to deliver a devastating points haul. A superb hat-trick against Swansea took his tally to an incredible seven goals in just four appearances. Fabregas’ pair of assists means he has already produced six since the start of the season, and while the Blues back-line seem incapable of delivering clean sheets, their two La Liga acquisitions look irresistible options in the final third.

Wilshere Sparks Gunners
A goal and assist from the England international helped Arsenal come from behind to secure a home draw with City. Alexis Sanchez’ second consecutive strike and Aaron Ramsey’s assist kept their points ticking over as Arsene Wenger’s side prepare to head to Villa next weekend. Danny Welbeck missed a gilt-edged opportunity to score a debut goal and was eventually withdrawn late on – Arsene Wenger confirmed post-match that his departure was due to cramp.

Debuchy Blow Revives Chambers
Elsewhere, the injury to Mathieu Debuchy looks set to bring Calum Chambers back onto our radars. The Frenchman suffered an ankle sprain in the second period, with Arsene Wenger sounding pessimistic in his post-match analysis. Chambers would be the obvious beneficiary of any term of absence for Debuchy and would present potential value at 4.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game. Arsenal are, however, yet to keep a clean sheet this season and their back-four has looked vulnerable. With Spurs and Chelsea in the next three, this is perhaps not a time to take a gamble on Wenger’s rearguard.

Aguero in the Goals Again
The Argentine struck for the third time in four appearances in the lunchtime encounter at the Emirates. Aguero atoned for the Gameweek 3 blank at home to Stoke by netting the opener, and having also scored against Newcastle and Liverpool, looks in bloom as the champions prepare for a crucial Etihad clash with Chelsea.

Black Cats Middle Men Come Good

Seb Larsson picked up the Fantasy returns for the third time in four Gameweeks as Sunderland fought back to claim a point against Spurs. The Swede now has a goal and two assists to his name so far, though Adam Johnson’s strike also brought the wide man onto our radars ahead of a trip to Burnley and back-to-back home clashes with Swansea and Stoke in the next three. Steven Fletcher was omitted from the squad for tactical reasons, allowing Connor Wickham the lone forward role as Gus Poyet reshuffled his side in order to accommodate new boy Ricardo Alvarez on the flank.

Ulloa Fires Foxes to Victory
While strike partner David Nugent continues to toil for the Championship winners, Leicester’s summer signing from Brighton seems tailor-made for the top-flight. Leonardo Ulloa’s winner at Stoke takes his tally to three goals already – having netted against Everton and Arsenal, he clearly has no regard for big reputations and brought the Potters back down to earth with a bang, after Mark Hughes’ side had grabbed victory at City in the previous Gameweek. Up next for the 5.5 budget forward is a home clash against United, and with Palace, Burnley and Newcastle also on his schedule in the next four, Ulloa looks primed for points in the coming weeks.

Belgian Toffees in the Goals
Kevin Mirallas scored for the second successive match as Everton chalked up their first win of the season against West Brom. Romelu Lukaku opened his account for the campaign, while at the back, Leighton Baines served a reminder of his points potential by grabbing an assist and clean sheet against the Baggies. A home clash with Palace looks promising next, though as Roberto Martinez’ side face testing trips to Liverpool and United immediately after.

Di Maria Dazzles on Home Bow
Handed a berth on the left of a midfield diamond, the Argentine leapt to attention with a pivotal role in the rout of QPR. After somewhat fortuitously opening the scoring with a free-kick, Di Maria teed up Juan Mata for the hosts’ fourth and turned in a performance that is set to get the bandwagon rolling ahead of next week’s trip to Leicester.

Tigers New Boys in the Goals
Steve Bruce handed deadline-day buys Mo Diame and Abel Hernandez their debuts for last night’s encounter and was rewarded after the new boys bagged a goal apiece. Diame’s introduction saw Jake Livermore shift to the right flank as the Tigers boss opted for a 4-4-2, while Hernandez joined Nikica Jelavic up front, with Tom Ince – who had previously been fielded alongside the Croatian, dropping out of the matchday squad altogether. Hernandez’ opener certainly suggests he could prove to be an inspired signing by Bruce but with City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the next five, few will be looking to invest in Hull right now.

August Transfer Window

The summer transfer window has finally slammed shut after a hectic day of dealing. Here’s a heads-up on those moves that have gone through.

Here are the new players who have been added to the list

Pos	Name	Team	Value
DF	Keane	Burnley	4.4
DF	Fryers	Crystal Palace	4.4
DF	Simpson	Leicester	4.4
DF	Alderweireld	Southampton	5
DF	Coates	Sunderland	4.5
MF	Cleverley	Aston Villa	5.3
MF	Boyd	Burnley	4.4
MF	McArthur	Crystal Palace	5.5
MF	Ben Arfa	Hull	5.8
MF	Ramírez	Hull	5.5
MF	Powell	Leicester	4.9
MF	Blind	Man Utd	5.5
MF	Kranjcar	QPR	5
MF	Sandro	QPR	4.9
MF	Assaidi	Stoke	4.9
MF	Álvarez	Sunderland	6
MF	Song	West Ham	5
ST	Welbeck	Arsenal	6.9
ST	Doyle	Crystal Palace	5
ST	Hernández	Hull	7
ST	Lawrence	Leicester	4.5
ST	Falcao	Man Utd	11

Radamel Falcao and Daley Blind to Man United
As rumours gather over a potential knee problem for Robin van Persie, Louis van Gaal has landed the biggest deal of deadline day with the Monaco frontman’s acquisition. There seems little doubt Falcao will be handed a central role for United, though his arrival poses question marks over just where Van Gaal plans to utilise Wayne Rooney and Van Persie in the XI. If the Dutchman is indeed set for surgery, Falcao and Rooney could be paired in the current 3-4-1-2, though if all three are fit and available, Rooney could be forced into a deeper berth or onto the flank in a 4-3-3. With matches against promoted pair QPR and Leicester up next, the Colombian has the chance to make an immediate impact – with Rooney at 10.5, a similar starting price could persuade many to snap him up immediately.

Van Gaal also improved his options bysigning compatriot Blind from Dutch champions Ajax. The versatile 24-year-old offers United alternatives at left wing-back and central defence, though could well be utilised in the middle of the park alongside Ander Herrera if Van Gaal continues with the 3-4-1-2 system. Given that Angel di Maria played in central midfield on his debut, the arrival of Blind, allied with Herrera’s imminent return from injury, means the United boss has numerous alternatives at his disposal. Certainly, Blind looks a starter under his former national coach, though it won’t be until the treatment room empties until we get an idea as to where he fits in the XI. With three goals to his name in his senior career, his Fantasy appeal is pretty limited to say the least.

Danny Welbeck to Arsenal
With Olivier Giroud crocked and Yaya Sanogo unable to find the net, Arsene Wenger has turned to the United outcast in his attempt to solve Arsenal’s striking dilemma. Wenger’s decision to field Alexis Sanchez on the flank at Leicester suggests he’s not convinced by the Chilean through the middle and if Welbeck can cement that starting role, at a price of just 6.9 in FPL, he has the potential to be a steal. The former United man offers pace through the middle which could feed off the creativity of Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey – given that he converted 19.6% of his chances in the league last season, compared to Giroud’s 14.3%, Wenger may well have pulled off a canny piece of business.

Abel Hernandez, Mo Diame, Gaston Ramirez and Hatem Ben Arfa to Hull
Steve Bruce has reinvested the £12 million picked up for the sale of Shane Long to Southampton by making the Uruguayan the Tigers’ record signing. Hernandez arrives at the KC on the back of 33 goals in 100 appearances for Italian club Palermo and, given the substantial outlay, it’s fair to assume he’ll be a regular starter for Hull in the season ahead. Nikica Jelavic has netted in each of his last two now and is starting to find his form, though Tom Ince’s prospects look a little more dubious now. The youngster has started alongside the Croatian up front as a result of Long’s departure but looks poised to make way for Hernandez – Ince owners will be hoping he can nail down the role in “the hole”, otherwise a spot on the bench looks likely if Bruce continues with a 3-5-2 formation.

With summer signing Robert Snodgrass sidelined for months due to a knee injury, Bruce has bolstered his options in the centre of the park. Diame grabbed four goals and three assists for West Ham last season but has fallen out of favour after a raft of new arrivals at Upton Park and will compete with the likes of Ince and Stephen Quinn for a spot in central midfield. Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone look nailed on under Bruce but Diame, at 5.4, is similarly priced and certainly offers the Tigers a real physical presence in the centre of the park.

Ramirez’ arrival on loan from Southampton perhaps suggests a change in approach from time to time. With Snodgrass sidelined for months, the Uruguayan could be tasked with injecting a little more creativity into a side that scored just 38 times last term. A switch to 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 could afford him a role on the flank, though again, he could tuck in behind Hernandez and Jelavic if Bruce keeps faith in his current system.

It’s been a busy deadline day for Steve Bruce. The Hull boss had handed Newcastle’s forgotten man the chance to re-ignite his career after falling out of Alan Pardew’s first-team plans. Ben Arfa’s lack of work-rate certainly wouldn’t work out wide in the 3-4-1-2 formation, though if Bruce decides on the central role behind the front two, a price of 5.8 is certainly worth monitoring. Given the numerous options available, though, it’s a case of wait and see.

Sebastian Coates and Ricardo Alvarez to Sunderland
With the Black Cats yet to deliver a clean sheet, Gus Poyet has drafted in his fellow Uruguayan on loan for the season ahead. At 4.5 in FPL, Coates is similarly priced to Sunderland’s main defensive assets and won’t be priced out of consideration – John O’Shea and Wes Brown’s security of starts looks under threat, then, which strengthens the prospects of Patrick van Aanholt as the best route into Poyet’s backline.

Poyet boosted his options in the attacking third by snapping up the Argentine from Inter Milan. Alvarez arrives on the back of nine goals and eight assists over his last two seasons in Serie A and if the Black Cats boss continues with his default 4-1-4-1 formation, the likes of Adam Johnson and Connor Wickham may have cause for concern given that new boy Will Buckley is also pushing for a start. A somewhat erratic player, Alvarez has the potential to offer the Wearsiders a real touch of class out wide though it remains to be seen how quickly he can adjust to life in the Premier League.

George Boyd and Nathaniel Chalobah to Burnley
The Clarets added to their options on the flank by acquiring Boyd from Hull. Matt Taylor has started the first three fixtures on the left for Sean Dyche’s side and has picked up an assist so far, though Boyd’s arrival could well bring him onto Fantasy radars. Available for just 4.4, he looks ideal as a cheap fifth midfielder if he can oust Taylor from the Burnley XI, though with two goals and a pair of assists for The Tigers last term, expectations of returns are low.

Chelsea youngster Chalobah is a versatile acquisition who offers options in defence and central midfield. Although he stands six foot one, he seems a little slight for a central defensive role in the Premier League and could instead be utilised in the middle of the park – he scored five goals on loan at Watford in 2012/13. His classification will be of interest to Fantasy managers – if he’s listed as a defender, we could be afforded an out of position prospect if Dyche reckons he can oust David Jones or Dean Marney in the starting XI.

Benjamin Stambouli to Tottenham
With Lewis Holtby and Sandro heading out the exit door, Mauricio Pochettino boosted his central midfield options by signing the combative 24-year-old from French club Montpellier. The Spurs boss has started Nabil Bentaleb and Etienne Capoue in the double-pivot for each of the first three Gameweeks and while Stambouli may well lessen their pitch time, a return of three goals in 112 appearances for the French outfit highlight his lack of impact in the final third.

James McArthur and Zeki Fryers to Palace
Fyers’ arrival from Spurs looks set to step up the competition for the left-back berth under new manager Neil Warnock. Joel Ward had looked a secure option under Tony Pulis but his owners will be a little concerned by this one – given last week’s 3-3 draw at Newcastle, though, many are already having reservations over the Eagles’ resilience this season. Ward may yet retain the spot on the left of defence, though could also shift over to the right, demoting Adrian Mariappa and Martin Kelly in the pecking order.

Warnock has splashed the cash on McArthur from Wigan to bolster his options in the middle of the park. With Joe Ledley and Stuart O’Keefe sidelined last week, the Palace boss was forced to field Ward in the engine room but the Scot’s arrival suggests he could be set to partner Mile Jedinak in a four-man midfield. McArthur has notched 11 times in 125 appearances for the Latics and offers far less potential than Jason Puncheon or Wilfried Zaha.

Sandro and Niko Krancjar to QPR
Harry Redknapp returned to former club Spurs to snap up the ball-winning midfielder. A change in formation last weekend saw the R’s switch to 4-4-1-1, with Leroy Fer tucked in behind Charlie Austin. Fer provided the assist for Austin’s winner and could well be set to retain the advanced role – Redknapp fielded Jordon Mutch alongside Joey Barton in central midfield but with the latter looking more likely to retain his starting role, Mutch’s owners will be hoping his attacking potential can stave off the threat provided by Sandro for a starting role.

Krancjar reunites with the R’s boss after playing on loan for the Loftus Road outfit last term. Having also worked with the Croatian at Spurs and Portsmouth, Redknapp knows what he’s getting with Krancjar and, if decides to continue with a four-man midfield, could hand his new acquisition a role on the R’s left – such a scenario would see Junior Hoilett and Matt Phillips battle it out for the opposite flank.

Oussama Assaidi to Stoke
Mark Hughes has acquired the wide man on loan from Liverpool for the second successive season. The Potters boss admitted a knee injury sustained by Peter Odemwingie last weekend has played a part in his thinking and if the Nigerian is ruled out for any period of time, Assaidi could find himself in contention. The starters out wide are uncertain right now, though – Marko Arnautovic joined Bojan Krkic on the bench at City as Hughes started with Victor Moses and Jon Walters on the flanks, suggesting it’s best to steer clear for now.

Morgan Amalfitano to West Ham
The Frenchman returns to the Premier League after spending a season on loan at West Brom last term. Amalfitano’s delivery from the flank was a standout feature for the Baggies but after a quick start, he managed to pick up four goals and four assists. Certainly, if he’s to nail down the role on the right, Allardyce could switch Stewart Downing onto the opposite flank, with the likes of Matt Jarvis and Ricardo vaz Te struggling to stay in Big Sam’s first-team plans.

Toby Alderiweld and Sadio Mane to Southampton
The Belgian international arrives from Atletico on a season-long loan, with the Saints having the option to buy. While he’s versatile enough to be fielded at right-back, it seems more likely that Ronald Koeman will keep faith in Nathaniel Clyne, allowing the new boy a spot in central defence. Arriving from the La Liga winners, he’s not here to warm the bench and his arrival looks set to curtail Maya Yoshida’s pitch time alongside Jose Fonte, with the latter potentially coming under threat from new boy Florin Gardos.

Southampton have also pounced in the eleventh hour to seal a move for Red Bull Salzburg winger, Sadio Mane. The speedy Senegal international arrives for an undisclosed fee to inject pace and further goal threat into the Saints’ lineup, having scored 45 goals in 86 outings for the Austrians. The signing ends Koeman’s prolonged quest for a wide man: Mane is known to occupy the left side despite being a right-footed player. It remains to be seen how this impacts on Koeman’s starting lineup; up until now, Dusan Tadic has been deployed on the left, with James Ward-Prowse and Shane Long recently fielded on the opposite flank.

 

Gameweek 3 Review – Saturday & Sunday

Sterling Steers Reds to Victory
The Liverpool youngster bagged his second goal in three appearances as the Reds swept aside Tottenham at the Lane. Fielded behind front two Daniel Sturridge and Mario Balotelli, Sterling – despite failing to pick up bonus in yesterday’s win – has now outscored Sturridge by 22 points to 10 in the opening trio of fixtures. Elsewhere in the Liverpool midfield, Steven Gerrard’s spot-kick duties helped the skipper gets his goal account off the mark.

Costa Recovers to Net Yet Again
Described as a “big doubt” ahead of the trip to Goodison by Jose Mourinho, the summer signing scored twice as Chelsea hammered Everton 6-3. With home matches against Swansea and Villa on either side of a trip to City in the next three, it’s difficult to see him not delivering the points once again.

Another Goal for Ivanovic
Chelsea’s marauding right-back continues to blaze a trail at the top of the defender rankings after serving up another set of attacking returns at Goodison. Jose Mourinho’s defence may be struggling to keep out their opponents right now – yesterday’s display was uncharacteristically poor at the back – but with two goals, an assist and five bonus points in the first three Gameweeks, the Serbian, continues to look the best route into Mourinho’s backline.

Moreno on the Radar
The new boy atoned for an error against City on Monday with a superb showing against Mauricio Pochettino’s team. With Brendan Rodgers opting for a midfield diamond, the Liverpool full-backs were tasked with supplying the width from deep and Moreno’s raiding runs were a real feature of the Merseysiders’ forward forays. At 5.5 in FPL he is currently without a club, ahead of four home fixtures (AVL, EVE, WBA, HUL) and trips to West Ham and QPR in the next six.

Naismith Nets Again
It’s three goals in as many appearances now for Everton’s budget striker. Tucked in behind Romelu Lukaku, Naismith added to goals against Leicester and Arsenal and now stands neck-and-neck with Costa at the top of the forward standings on 24 points. The Toffees have seven decent fixtures in the next nine to pick up in performance – upcoming trips to Liverpool and United means many may choose to overlook their main assets until the schedule eases in Gameweek 8, though.

United Stumble Once Again
Even with new boy Angel di Maria on board, the Red Devils were unable to find a way past Burnley in Saturday’s lunchtime encounter. Louis van Gaal retained the 3-4-1-2 system and handed the Argentine a role alongside Darren Fletcher in central midfield – this allowed Juan Mata to tuck in behind the front two, though the Spaniard was subbed off with a knock. The fixtures may still be in United’s favour, but in this sort of form, many Fantasy managers will be re-assessing their options.

City Forwards Fail to Deliver
After scoring as a substitute in each of his first two appearances, Sergio Aguero was handed his first start of the season in yesterday’s loss. Despite lasting the full 90 minutes, the Argentine was unable to find a way past Asmir Begovic – City mustered just two shots on target over the entire match.

Swans Midfielders Rack Up the Points
Nathan Dyer proved a deadly differential yet again after bagging a brace in a 3-0 home win over West Brom. Swansea’s flying winger added to last week’s strike against Burnley and continues to make a real case for consideration in our five-man midfields.

Gylfi Sigurdsson picked up the points yet again and continues to make a mockery of his initial 6.0 price tag. Fielded behind Wilfried Bony once more, the Icelandic international served up a pair of assists, maintaining the form that has produced returns in all three of his appearances and taken him to the midfielders’ summit. The duo are clearly thriving under Garry Monk’s attacking approach, and while an upcoming trip to Chelsea may prove troublesome, Swansea then have five favourable fixtures (SOU, sun, NEW, sto, LEI) before the schedule takes a turn for the worse in Gameweek 10.

Warnock Sparks Palace Attack into Life
Jason Puncheon and Wilfried Zaha were amongst the goals in the first match of Neil Warnock’s second spell at Selhurst Park. Intriguingly, the former returned from suspension to take his role on the right, while Zaha was introduced off the bench as a replacement for Dwight Gayle up front – we’d initially expected Zaha to take the right-flank berth but the line-up suggests both could fit into the new manager’s plans ahead of home fixtures with Burnley and Leicester in the next three.

Villa Front Two Pick up the Points
After serving up back-to-back clean sheets in the first two Gameweeks, most of the Fantasy interest surrounded Villa’s defence for the visit of Hull. Both Andreas Weimann and Gabby Agbonlahor picked up a goal apiece in the 2-1 win over the Tigers, with the young Austrian also picking up an assist and maximum bonus points. Having also scored in Gameweek 1, Weimann is now up to third in the FPL forward standing on 22 points, but with showdowns against all of last term’s top five in the next five Gameweeks, few will be looking to invest in Villa right now.

Garrincha, Better than Pele?

Background

Mané Garrincha was born October 28th 1933 in Pau Grande, Rio de Janeiro. His father was a raging alcoholic, an all too familiar tale of the shanty town of Pau Grande during the early 1900’s. One of 15 children, Manuel was a sickly child, contracting childhood Polio, which bent his legs so that both of his knees pointed to the left and his right leg was 2cm longer than the left one. This deformation caused one his brothers to name him Garrincha – The Wren. His also had scoliosis, with a huge S-Bend in his spine that would have crippled most.

Mané Garrincha should have been incapable of walking. Instead, he was incredibly fast, and abnormally agile. It wasn’t before long that he began to play the beloved national sport of Brazil, and it became apparent very quickly that the boy with crooked legs was gifted. His childhood was a wild one. At age 14 he began working in a local factory, as well as begin to drink. He even claimed to have lost his Virginity to a goat. He also began to hustle on the streets using his football skills. He would win money by going from village to village and town to town, beating local hopefuls by betting on the outcome, knowing fully that he could not be beaten. He was able to feed and clothe himself this way, and talent scouts soon caught wind of the ‘The Angel with Bent Legs’ (‘O Anjo de Pernas Tortas’) tearing up the streets. Incredibly, Garrincha had no initial interest in playing football professionally, and it wasn’t until he was 18 that he finally decided to accept an offer. His only reason for doing so was that he was now a father and a husband, and had to provide for more than himself.

Botafogo – Early Years

During his early trials, Garrincha was forced to play against several senior team members, many of whom were Brazilian internationals. During his first training session, he displayed all of his immense talent, even having the audacity to nutmeg Nilton Santos, the starting centre back for the National Team. At the end of the session, Santos grabbed Garrincha and dragged him to the coaching staff and said ‘Sign him so I don’t have to play against him.’ Santos would also later be influential in Garrincha being selected for the National Team by demanding he be allowed to attend a training camp for the Brazil 1954 World Cup squad, even though he hadn’t been selected, as the National Team stuck with Julinho another iconic right winger.

On July 19th 1953, Garrincha made his debut for Botafogo aged 19 against Bonsucesso. He scored a hat-trick. The crowd instantly fell in love with him, and for 12 glorious years Garrincha would woo them, showing blistering runs, incredible dribbles through countless defenders and stunning finesse to his finishes. In one game he is known to have twisted around a defender is such a violent burst of speed that the defender fell over. Garricha then ran back, picked his marker off the ground, then continued to bolt down the right wing with the ball. It wasn’t long before his talents became world renowned. In the summer of 1954, Juventus offered Botafogo a world record transfer fee to take Garrincha to Italy. When told about it, Garrincha shrugged and asked, ‘are they any good?’ This left the scouts dumbfounded. They finally came face to face with this incredibly talented young man, and he was more interested in going back to Pau Grande to play in the street with his friends than to play for a European giant.

It was this ‘boy in a mans body’ attitude to life that endeared Garrincha to his people. A man of many nicknames, one that often rings through the Maracana and the Olympic Stadium even today is ‘Garrincha; Alegria do Povo’ – The Joy of the People. He would often return to Pau Grande after a training session (if he actually showed up for training that is) and play for a few hours on the local football pitch, then hit the bar and pass out in a stupor. Then he’d sleep it off, arrive for the next game on time, and wow the crowds again and again.

As Botafogo began assembling a team around Garrincha, he would eventually manage to win his first Campeonato Carioca (The Rio State League) in 1957, Botafogo’s first in 9 years. Even though he had made a single appearance for Brazil in 1955, Garrincha’s first breakthrough into the National Team occurred in 1957. He was starting in every game and played in both of the 1958 World Cup qualification matches against Peru.

Garrincha scored his most famous goal in a warm-up game against Fiorentina. He ran the ball past 4 defenders from the right wing to the left, then took the ball around the goalkeeper into an open net, before stopping just short of the goal line, giving Robotti enough time get back. However, Garrincha sold an outrageous dummy by dropping his shoulders and side-stepping past Robotti, who ran face first into the post. Garrincha then tapped it in. The Italian crowd loved every moment of it.

When Brazil arrived in Sweden for the 1958 World Cup, expectation on them was huge. Garrincha however, didn’t even know he was flying to Sweden until a week before the tournament started, and didn’t even know who he was playing on the first day until they walked onto the pitch and he saw the flag (he had to ask Nilton Santos who it was, he didn’t recognise the Austrian Flag). Garrincha, who had lost 9 pounds after having his tonsils removed in a botched tonsillectomy, didn’t actually play in that match, as the selection committee were afraid that he was ‘too individual’ and it would affect them against strong European teams. Brazil easily beat Austria and then faced the impressive Soviet Union. Garrincha was picked to start, and when told that, he asked once again; ‘So are these any good?’. The Brazilian management were actually afraid of the Soviet Union due to their industrious and ‘scientific’ approach to the game. Instead, what happened was described as the greatest 3 minutes in the history of the beautiful game. In those 180 seconds, Garrincha dribbled past his man 4 times, left another on his back, then smashed a shot of the post. The Goteburg crowd was roaring. In those first 3 minutes, Lev Yashin, the Soviet Goalkeeper (and only Goalkeeper to ever win the Ballon d’Or) was already pouring with sweat. Vava scored for Brazil, and Yashin stored there applauding what he had just seen. Brazil went on to dominate the game, and won the game 2-0.

This ensured that Brazil reached the next round where they beat Wales 1-0. Garrincha the Architect and Pele the finisher once again. In their semi-final, they beat France 5-2. Pele scoring a hat-trick, and stealing the headlines, whilst it was another phenomenal performance by ‘The Angel with Bent Legs’. He took a ball from one penalty area to the other, taking it around 6 players, then sliding it to Vava to give Brazil the lead. It was clear who would win this game.

The final saw Brazil face hosts Sweden. Sweden took an early lead, but Brazil equalised almost straight away. Garrincha again blasting past anyone who dared try to stop and setting up both the equaliser and winning goals scored by Vava. When the whistle blew, the crowd erupted. You would have though Sweden had won, but they had seen magic that day, and their brave players stood up well to the new World Champions. Brazilian players rejoiced, except for one. Garrincha was asking what was going on. When told that they had won the tournament, he was actually upset, as he thought that it was run like a league, and that they would play everyone again. He was voted into the Best XI for the 1958 World Cup.

Garrincha’s Finest Hours

Success would continue for Garrincha and Botafogo, winning the Campeonato Carioca again in 1961 and 1962. Garrincha contined to gain interest from all over the world, with Real Madrid this time seeking to take him to Spain. Garrincha, who now had 7 children, was not interested.

He would instead continue to win the affections of his people, and lead Botafogo to their first ever Rio-São Paulo Tournament victory in 1962. He was named ‘Best Player’ in all domestic competitions, and was again selected to represent Brazil for the 1962 World Cup in Chile. It was here that he would cement himself as one of the greatest of all time. In the opening game of the tournament, Garrincha continued with his playful antics on the pitch, skipping through the Mexican defence with ease and applying the final ball for Pele as they won 2-0. However, in the second game, a 0-0 draw with Czechoslovakia, Pele, was injured, and ruled out for the rest of the tournament. All attention turned to Garrincha to lead them.

In the final group game against Spain, Garrincha would take his game up another level. His agile runs becoming even sharper as he changed direction at full speed and blasting around any defender of midfielder that tried to stop him. He would provide the assist to Amarildo, Pele’s replacement, that saw Brazil win 2-1. For the first time in his career, Garrincha took what he did very seriously. In the Quarter Finals Brazil took on England. Garrincha scored the first goal of the game with a header, a part of his game that many people underestimated due to his short, stocky nature. England pulled level just before half time. This only seemed to irritate Garrincha, who punished the English back four time and time again, weaving around them before unleashing a fierce shot that was saved, but landed at Vava’s feet, who put Brazil 2-1 ahead. Seemingly annoyed that he hadn’t scored that effort, Garrincha received the ball in the 59th minute on the edge of the box and smashed the ball with the outside of his foot, bending it around the last defender and into the corner. The shot was later dubbed a ‘Banana Shot’ due to the arc it took in it’s flight towards goal.

In the semi-final, Garrincha again scored twice, again scoring a header and a long range effort. In a nearly disastrous moment, Garrincha was sent off in the 83rd minute. After constantly being kicked, spat on, stamped and hit on the back of the head, he retaliated by kicking Chile’s Eladio Rojas in the gut.

After reviewing the footage, FIFA over-ruled the Red Card and allowed Garrincha to the play the final. Prior to the game, Garrincha spiked a dangerously high fever. Coaching staff were debating taking him to hospital for treatment, but he refused to go. Amarildo, Zito and Vava would score to win the World Cup final 3-1. Garrincha celebrated with his friends, seemingly embracing glory and the superstar status that came from being a world champion. He would be named as the joint top scorer with 4 goals with 3 other players, and was named as Player of the Tournament.

Decline

In 1963, Garrincha was a global star. He began to fully embrace the lifestyle, and began spending his wealth in the only way he knew how. Women and drink. His right knee also began to weaken at a drastic rate. He would win the Brazil Championship one last time in 1964.

In 1964, Garrincha finally relented to European interest. Agreeing a world record £400,000 deal that would take him to Internazionale in Italy. However, upon performing a medical check on his knee, the deal collapsed.

With the drink finally beginning to spiral beyond a regular problem, and his fitness and ability began to fail him, and his knee finally betraying him, Garrincha was sold to Corinthians in 1966. He would only play for them 4 times before jumping to Athletic Junior in Columbia, where he played once, before returning to Brazil to play for Flamengo 4 times, and finally signing for Olaria in 1972. During this time he had left his wife, who had mothered 8 of his children, and moved in with famous Samba singer Elza Soares. This had him vilified by the Brazilian public for a while, as both had left marriages with surviving partners. He also refused to use banks, so he stuffed his wealth into his mattress at home. He one day discovered that his money had gone rotten from constantly wetting the bed after passing out drunk.

He played in the 1966 world cup, but he was selected more for his name, than his form. He was unfit, yet despite this, he played the opening game against Bulgaria, scoring a free kick from 25 yards with a trademark Banana Shot. The next match saw Brazil lose to Hungary 3-1. It was the only time Garrincha lost in a Brazil shirt. He wouldn’t play for them again. In 1969, he was drunk whilst driving, crashing into an oncoming truck killing his mother-in-law, who was in the passenger seat.

In 1973, suffering now from severe damage to his knees and having become a grandfather for the first time, Garrincha retired. He was given a tribute match at the Maracana Stadium, in a Brazil vs FIFA World XI, which mainly consisted of South Americans. Deep into the first half, the referee stopped the match and Garrincha performed a lap of honour to a standing ovation of 131,000 of his people. At the end of his lap, Garrincha walked down the tunnel and bowed out a hero.

After Retirement

As seems to be a familiar story with many greats of the more distant past, Garrincha did not handle retirement well. Without football, the only thing left for him to do was squander his money on drink. In 1977 Elza Soures left him after he struck her in an argument. Garrincha became a forgotten man, occasionally showing up for Charity football events. In a parade through Rio, he was asked to sit on a parade float through the streets and wave to fans. He didn’t seem to know where he was, and many people are unsure if he was drunk, or under heavy medication to fight the DT’s. Pele threw him a Garland from a VIP box above the street, but Garrincha didn’t even react to hit it hitting. TV camera’s showed Pele visibly distraught by this, with his lips saying ‘Oh my God’. The Joy of the People, now had become pitied.

In 1983, Garrincha slipped into a coma that he never awoke from. He died of cirrhosis of the liver, aged only 49, leaving behind 14 children.

During his funeral procession, he was moved from the Maracana to Pau Grande, where he finally was laid to rest. Along the route, millions of Brazilians lined the roads, to say praise their joy one last time. On his headstone reads; “Here rests in peace the one who was the Joy of the People – Mané Garrincha.”

In 1974, a 70,000 seated stadium was named in his honour and as further tribute, the Home Dressing room at the Maracana is named ‘Garrincha’ (the away room is called ‘Pele’.)

Mané Garrincha retired a two time world cup winner, with a career total of 116 goals in 398 games.

via Garrincha | The Legend Archive.

Gameweek 1 Review – Monday

Chelsea New Boys Dazzle in Burnley Destruction
Positioned in the Blues double-pivot alongside Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas showed that, despite a deep-lying role, he looks poised to play a major part in our Fantasy seasons. The Spaniard pulled the strings for Jose Mourinho’s side in an outstanding first-half display that harvested a pair of assists and the maximum bonus points as he overshadowed the pricier Eden Hazard in the Chelsea midfield.

Up front, Diego Costa continued the momentum that saw him score four times over the summer friendlies.

Luis and Cech Warm the Blues Bench
Mourinho started last season’s back-four for the Burnley clash as new signing Filipe Luis was named amongst the substitutes, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic fielded as full-backs. Clearly, though, the new boy won’t be expected to sit on the bench every week and it may not be for a number of matches before we get a clear idea of Mourinho’s intentions – there seems little conclusions can be made on last night’s team sheet. Thibaut Courtois got the nod ahead of Petr Cech for the number one jersey, though before the match, the Blues boss added further uncertainty to the situation by stating:

“Thibaut is my number one tonight against Burnley. I don’t make decisions for the season; I make decisions for a match.”

Arfield’s Budget Appeal
The Clarets man was one of only three budget midfielders to get amongst the goals this week, along with Ki Sung-Yeung and Lee Cattermole. Having netted eight times in last year’s Championship, Arfield carries the main scoring threat in the centre of the park in Sean Dyche’s side and, after proving his capabilities against a side that chalked up 18 clean sheets last season, could come into contention as a cheap fifth midfield option.

Gameweek 1 Review – Saturday and Sunday

Ramsey Leaves it Late
The Welshman fired an injury-time winner as Arsenal made hard work of overcoming Palace at the Emirates. While Alexis Sanchez chipped in with an assists (and seems to have a share of dead-ball duties) Ramsey served notice that he’s set to maintain the form that saw him deliver 10 goals in 23 appearances last term.

Brede Hangeland’s opener denied many Fantasy managers defensive returns, though Mathieu Debuchy picked up an assist for Ramsey’s strike to get his season up and running and was bombing forward throughout. Arsene Wenger has concerns on the opposite flank, however, with Kieran Gibbs withdrawn midway through the second period: Wenger later stated that the left-back may have picked up a hamstring or Achilles injury. Nacho Monreal looks the likeliest to benefit, though Callum Chambers owner will be hoping the versatile youngster could offer a replacement once Per Mertesacker returns to take his place in the heart of the back line.

United Fail to Flatter
The Red Devils’ growing injury list finally caught up with them. Louis van Gaal’s side were heavily backed after a 100% record over the summer but with the Dutchman forced to field debutants Ryan Blackett and Jesse Lingard, it’s clear they remain in an uncertain transition period. Wayne Rooney’s strike may have vindicated the show of faith but the 2-1 reverse suggests that Van Gaal has plenty of work to do. Interestingly, the Dutchman changed formations at the break, switching from 3-4-1-2 to a 4-4-1-1, with Juan Mata still tucked in behind Rooney. This saw Nani introduced with a subdued Ashley Young shifted to a traditional left-back role.

Berahino Bags a Brace
Handed the role in “the hole” behind Victor Anichebe, Berahino struck twice (including a spot-kick) as the Baggies kicked off with a 2-2 draw. Three road trips (sou, sea, tot) and the visit of Everton in the next four suggests that Berahino could struggle to maintain this promising form, though.

In defence, the 4.0-priced Andre Wisdom was again selected at right-back, though the similarly-priced Chris Baird dropped to the bench after starting the last few friendlies in central midfield.

Davies Benched in Spurs Win
Spurs earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory at West Ham in Mauricio Pochettino’s first match in charge, despite playing over 60 minutes with 10-men. Debutant Eric Dier bagged a 15-point return thanks to a goal, clean sheet and maximum bonus, though with the likes of Jan Vertonghen closing in on a return, it remains to be seen where Dier stands in the pecking order. Kyle Naughton’s dismissal means he is set to sit out next week’s visit of QPR, while the uncertainty surrounding the left-back berth was underlined by the decision to field Danny Rose ahead of Ben Davies.

Toffees Share the Spoils
Romelu Lukaku proved his fitness in time for The Foxes clash, though the Belgian was overshadowed by goalscorers Steven Naismith and Aiden McGeady. Naismith was handed the role behind Lukaku after Ross Barkley was ruled out with injury and, with a potential long-term absence for the youngster on the cards, Naismith could be poised for an upturn in game time – his classification as a forward in FPL somewhat dents his appeal, though. Winger McGeady, at 5.5, is worth monitoring, though games against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and United in the next six looks a barrier to investment. Seamus Coleman and Kevin Mirallas made the bench and were both introduced late on. Both would seem likely to be in line for starts for the visit of Arsenal in Gameweek 2. This would presumably put both Naismith/McGeady and John Stones under threat.

Sterling the Star for Reds
A goal and assist from the youngster helped Liverpool to a narrow win over Southampton in the first game of the post-Luis Suarez era. Fielded on the left of a 4-2-3-1 formation has instantly found his form – with the maximum bonus also accrued, few will be deterred by back-to-back road trips to City and Spurs.

Aguero Seals it for City
Manuel Pellegrini started with Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko up front at Newcastle but both were overshadowed by the fit-again Argentine in City’s 2-0 win. Emerging from the bench on 83 minutes, Aguero needed just seven minutes to find the net and remind us just how devastating a Fantasy force he can be.

With another week until the champions’ next league match against Liverpool, there’s every chance Aguero’s match sharpness will be up to scratch, allowing Pellegrini to start the diminutive frontman. His return immediately places concerns over Jovetic’s security of pitch time, though the Montenegro international turned in an impressive shift, with five attempts on goal and a trio of chances created for his team-mates at St James’ Park.

Monchi: The man who made Sevilla

Monchi, ladies and gentlemen, is the reason that the city of Sevilla, one of Spain’s most prodigious and important talent factories, has a team in the Primera Division.

He may, although this is hypothetical and hard to prove, also be the reason that Sevilla still has two football clubs. Because how this organization would have survived the dearth of money for clubs outside the big three or four over the past handful of years if they didn’t have this 45-year-old ‘Big Brain’ of football watching over them is a mystery to me.

Temporarily, however, back to the autumn of 2003. A friend of mine, football lawyer to trade, had been at Highbury to do business and spotted a taxi being called for a Ramon Rodriguez. It was evidently a football matter given the fuss being made over the Spanish visitor and, one tip-off later, I was on the case.

The deal turned out to be Jose Antonio Reyes, about whom most Gunners will have mixed feelings — but not so in Sevilla.

He’s back there now, with his hometown club, but the 2003 sale to Arsenal — for significantly more than it cost Barcelona to buy Ronaldinho six months earlier — was the beginning of a selling spree where Monchi’s prodigies, like Julio Baptista and Sergio Ramos, earned los Rojiblancos close to a 90-million-euro profit.

Sergio Ramos is the crown jewel of Monchi’s prized sales while in charge of Sevilla.

In fact, rather than Monchi, his nickname should be “Margin”. His metallurgical ability to spot, sign and plump up a player other clubs are simply not interested in and then sell him for a huge profit is simply remarkable.

Not every single time. Not everything he touches turns to gold or else he’d be “Midas” not Monchi. But I don’t believe that in modern times there’s a trader of horseflesh anywhere in football with a record to compare to his.

In his time he’s either helped promote from Sevilla’s youth structure or signed to the club: Dani Alves, Freddie Kanoute, Luis Fabiano, Julio Baptista, Sergio Ramos, Jose Antonio Reyes, Andres Palop, Adriano, Renato, Gary Medel, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo, Seydou Keita, Christian Poulsen, Alberto Moreno, Kevin Gameiro, Enzo Maresca, Carlos Bacca, Diego Lopez and Ivan Rakitic.

Not all have been sold, a couple were allowed to leave for free given their age. But every single one of those players has brought, or will bring, vastly more to Sevilla in terms of sale price, prestige, sponsorship and trophies than they cost to acquire.

By the time they are all sold, I’d estimate it’ll be at a net profit of around 200 million euros.

And the cherry on the icing, certainly for me because this is not an accountant’s column, is that Monchi the Margin Man’s driving philosophy is that he and his network can buy short and sell long but all the while, win trophies. Thus it is that during his time as the grey matter behind the club, Sevilla have reached 10 finals (including Tuesday’s UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid) and won seven of them.

Some context, in case you happen to be either a little short on Random Access Memory or new to the Rojiblancos history, is that after the Copa Del Rey in 1948, the club didn’t win another major trophy (I’m discounting the second division 20 years later) until the Monchi era and the UEFA Cup in 2006.

I’m particularly interested in him this week mainly because of two reasons.

Real Madrid patently went through a stage between David Beckham’s signing and the purchase of Gonzalo Higuain, Marcelo and then Ronaldo, when they found the idea of signing the right coach and the right players at the same time and for the right price to be mutually exclusive.

Los Blancos flirted with Monchi. At one stage it was the biggest open secret in Spanish football that he was on the verge of signing for them.

But, for various reasons including the pull of sentiment, better terms and a fearfully persuasive president (Jose Maria Del Nido, who is now in jail), it didn’t happen. Just as well for Sevilla, really.

After the break up of the club’s greatest-ever squad — Kanoute, Fabiano, Adriano, Alves, Palop, Renato, Javi Navarro and the late Antonio Puerta — Monchi’s ability to buy frugally, unearth an effective, often thrilling, player and then sell him on for a profit hit the buffers. The team was moribund and the signing policy wasn’t on full throttle.

Long before Dani Alves was a bleach-blond standout at Barcelona, he was among the most sought-after full-backs in the world, playing for Sevilla.

Yet whether there was a causal connection or it was simply time for him to hit a sweet spot again, Monchi’s run of form massively improved just as the economic crisis began to devastate the coffers of La Liga and to scare the wits out of their main creditors — the banks.

Now there is a new economic reality. The grade of players he succeeded with before are outwith his wildest dreams. He now must target those who are still in development or have hit a dip in form and their careers need reviving.

Yet the Cadiz-born former keeper is replicating his form of a decade ago in buying players who eventually blossom at Sevilla, who are head hunted at a raging profit and who, last May, won the Andaluz outfit their fourth European trophy.

He looks on the past 12 months with pride over another triumph.

“Last year we really needed to sell because we were coming off the back of two pretty disastrous seasons economically and there was a debt of about 22 million euros,” Monchi said. “If a club like ours is even slightly badly run or planned and faces a debt like that, then there’s a fair chance that it’ll sink them and they’ll never properly rise to this level again.

Monchi, right, continues to attract young, profitable players to Sevilla, like Kevin Gameiro, left.

“The problem is that because we sell well, clubs try to make us pay over the top for their players — but those clubs don’t realise how much we are committed to paying in salaries. For example, for a club like ours to have players like Bacca or Marko Marin or Kevin Gameiro, the quality of player that other equivalent clubs don’t and can’t get, we have to offer pretty high average salaries.

“That means that often when we sell players it’s not to reinvest in signings or the club, it’s to pay some of the salary bill. These days it’s not feasible to have the salary bill we had when we signed or renewed Dani Alves, Freddie Kanoute or Luis Fabiano.

“So we have to reinvent ourselves.”

Already this summer, between purchases, players returning from loans and sales, there have been 21 moves in and out of Sevilla. And you wouldn’t bet against Bacca, who with Gameiro, has added 42 goals since the pair were bought for a total of 17 million euros, leaving for a more sizable Champions League club before the market closes.

This is chaotic for a meticulously planned coach like Sevilla’s Unai Emery and it cranks up the pressure on Monchi not to make a single slip. And there are so many areas wherein that slip could occur: who to sell, how much for, who to buy, what type of guy to bring into this flexible, intelligent, technical but very hard-pressing football philosophy.

You’d think it would stress him. But last year he spent the majority of the season in London, conducting his business from a rented flat there and learning to speak English. Such an endeavour will augment both his market skills and his market viability when, as eventually must happen, he follows the route favoured by his pupils.

What a black day that will be for Sevilla FC.

via Monchi: The man who made Sevilla – ESPN FC.

LA ROSSA E IL RISORGIMENTO DI ROBERTO BAGGIO

As the car pulled out of Milanello on that mild morning, the man in the back sank down into the groove of the seat and pondered for a moment whether he’d made the right decision. What he was about to do was a big gamble, but the move was all but agreed by now, and as the early afternoon sun tried to poke through the trees that aligned either side of the path he swallowed hard and said a little prayer under his breath.

During the mid ‘90s, Serie A was the league to be seen in. It was able to house the type of players that the Premier League and the Bundesliga could only dream of attracting at the time; Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Gabriel Battistuta were all illuminating the mind and feeding the eyes of football fans the world over, but one of the most iconic stars of this generation was home grown; Roberto Baggio.

Baggio had been doing the rounds of some of the division’s most prestigious institutions, like Fiorentina, Milan and Juventus since breaking onto the scene with lowly Vicenza back in 1982. However, one of the most fascinating periods of his career came when he made the shock decision to join mid-table sluggers Bologna in 1997.

Serie A was a tough place to compete and will always have a special place in the hearts of men around a certain age, but without dipping into the rhetoric of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris too much, hindsight has now afforded us the realisation that the final decade of the 20th century was a golden age for football in many ways, especially in Italy.

Off the back of a successful World Cup, the money was flying, advertising had yet to make everyone completely cynical, the true extent of the league’s corruption had not been exposed, and in the UK at least, James Richardson presented it to all in a neat 60 minute package over oceans of steaming hot cappuccinos and mountains of gelato in a way Sky Sports or Match of the Day could never hope to live up to.

During this time Bologna were unfancied to do much in Serie A. They’d punched above their weight the season before and were largely tipped to amble along in the lower reaches of the division, or even slip back down to Serie B where many believed they belonged. The club’s fans were slightly more hopeful of being able to maintain a similar level of consistency, but those same fears were in the back of their collective conscience all the same.

It was also the year, though, that Baggio had seen his time with Milan come to a premature end as he found himself out of favour under coach Arrigo Sacchi, the very man he’d dragged along with him to the final of the 1994 World Cup in the USA. The aftermath of a series of disagreements had bled through from Fabio Capello’s time in charge, and the two had been known to argue during their time Stateside. As their Scudetto challenge unravelled, Sacchi limited Baggio’s playing time drastically.  Over the summer, knowing that he had concerns over his place in Cesare Maldini’s squad for the World Cup in France the following year, Baggio decided something needed to be done.

Sensing his disgruntlement, Bologna coach Renzo Ulivieri went to the club’s owner armed with just hope, and asked him on his thoughts about making a move for Baggio. To his surprise, he had the club’s backing. Ulivieri contacted Milan, who in turn gave him permission to speak to the player, and just 24 hours later Baggio would stood next to a bewildered Ulivieri holding a Rossoblu shirt in front of the equally baffled media.

Baggio was a Bologna player just 24 hours after the club had made their initial approach. However, the move was met with wide derision. Many believed that at 30-years-old, this would represent the beginning of the end for his career and some even taunted him as a future Serie B player. He responded by cutting off his iconic ponytail as a symbol of his rebirth. He had high hopes that the gamble would pay off.

But the media’s taunts appeared to be vindicated when Bologna got off to a sluggish start. An opening day 4-2 defeat to Atalanta, in which Baggio scored from the spot, was followed by another 4-2 slump to Inter. Baggio got both Bologna goals, but they failed to score for the next four games, notching up three goalless draws and a 2-0 defeat to Parma.  A 5-1 rout of Napoli proved to be a false dawn, as the side collected only two points from their next four games. Rumours of disquiet in the camp were doing the rounds too. Despite chalking up a hat trick in the Napoli thumping and two more in the subsequent games, the relationship between Baggio and Ulivieri was strained. The coach had left him out of the side for the visit of former club Juventus at the last minute following a disagreement over tactics. However, when quizzed on why his star man wasn’t in the side Ulivieri played down talk of a rift, describing Baggio as “a nice guy” and “a talented player”.

Results started to pick up, and Bologna were now finding the net on a regular basis. Baggio continued to form a good understanding with Kennet Andersen too, and helped the big Swede to a hat trick of his own in the win over Sampdoria, which was then followed up by victories over Vicenza and Udinese.

Baggio had an eye on his former club, eager to show what they’d been missing out on. Sacchi had now been replaced by the authoritarian Fabio Capello, but that didn’t seem to diminish the significance of the occasion. Baggio opened the scoring early on, latching onto a high through ball to pirouette and poke the ball past the on rushing Sebastiano Rossi. In an explosion of relief, Baggio ran to the side of the pitch and prayed whilst his teammates ran over to congratulate him, and he capped off another fine display by dispatching a late penalty after being brought down by Paolo Maldini.

With the season coming to a close, Bologna won four of their last five games. The only defeat coming away to Juventus, a game that Baggio later admitted he’d been dreading after missing out on the reverse fixture earlier in the season. But he got himself on the scoresheet once again, and this time ran along the touchline at the Stadio Delle Alpi with his hand cupped to his ear, as the now silent home crowd kept their insults to themselves.

Baggio finished the season 1997/98 season with 22 goals and six assists. Bologna had once again performed above their station, finishing in eighth place and qualifying for the following season’s Intertoto cup.  But before that there was the small matter of the World Cup in France. Baggio had scored a brace in six games that season, and coach Maldini had no choice but to call him up.  And even though he would be going up against Alessandro Del Piero, who’d astonishingly bagged 32 goals in 47 games across all competitions himself, his inclusion had been a popular decision.

Italy would begin their campaign against Chile. Led by Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamorano, the South American’s were seen as dark horses of a talented group that also contained Cameroon and Austria.  Things got off to a great start for Italy too, just ten minutes in Paolo Maldini intercepted the ball by his own area, looked up, and sent a wonderfully placed pass to the feet of Baggio, who had somehow slithered between two Chilean defenders to send a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Christian Vieri. 1-0.  But Chile soon fought back, two goals either side of the break from Salas had the Italians on the back foot. But then, with just five minutes remaining, Baggio received the ball out on the right, as he darted into the area he flicked the ball up on the hand of Ronald Fuentes and won a penalty. A nation held its breath.  As soon as the whistle blew, Baggio bent down, and with his hands on his knees began to compose a mantra.

Just hit it hard, hit it hard,

he later told reporters, and after a brief deliberation with his colleagues, he had the ball in his hands as he walked over to the spot. Looking just as cool and calm as he had done four years ago, he took another long run and fired past the outstretched hand of Nelson Tapia, exorcising the demons of that day in Pasadena, and in doing so became the first Italian player to score in three consecutive World Cups.

It affected me for years. It was the worst moment of my career. I still dream about it. If I could erase a moment, it would be that one

he’d later say recalling THAT moment in the USA.

As the group wore on Baggio continued to battle with Del Piero for a starting spot. He started against Cameroon, but came off after an hour, and then found himself on the bench in the final game against Austria. The Juve man ran the show that day, and laid on a cross for Christian Vieri to put Italy into the lead, but in a role reversal from the Cameroon game found himself sacrificed in place of the old master.  Baggio would score again, thanks to some neat link up play with Filippo Inzaghi, who rolled the ball across the box to find his man waiting, unmarked, and with the net gaping at his mercy.

Having missed the last 16 game with Norway, he returned from the bench when his side met France in the quarter finals. Cesare Maldini had started with Del Piero again, and faced heavy criticism from back home as the 24-year-old was still recovering from injury. Del Piero had been largely ineffectual, and Baggio had the best chance to seal victory by a golden goal when his close range volley sailed past the face of the goal.

The game would be decided on penalties. Baggio, first up, dispatched his easily. He’d already put one away this tournament and there was no way he was going to mess it up this time. He slotted the ball past Barthez in the French goal and strolled back to the centre circle with his finger pressed to his lips.  However, Italian hearts were to be broken again, this time by Luigi Di Biaggio, who sent Italy’s final kick crashing against the bar. The World Cup dream was over once again.

Upon his return, the jibes of four years previous has long been forgotten, Baggio had proven his detractors wrong and was once again a figurehead in Italian football, and sealed his good year by signing for Inter for a fee of just £2.2 million. It had taken him four years, but he was now a heroic icon once again, the wrong side of 30 perhaps, but in performing so well for a ‘lesser club’ he proved he was still worthy of mixing it up with the big boys.

via LA ROSSA E IL RISORGIMENTO DI ROBERTO BAGGIO — IBWM.

Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool: Arsenal adapt well to Rodgers’ tactical decisions

The starting line-ups

Arsenal triumphed in a fast-paced and tactically interesting contest.

With Jack Wilshere and Mathieu Flamini out, Arsene Wenger had no real selection dilemmas.

Brendan Rodgers continued with his 3-5-2 system, although was without both first-choice wing-backs, with Glen Johnson a late withdrawal – Jon Flanagan played instead.

Arsenal were the better side – just about keeping Liverpool’s front two quiet, and dominating both centrally and down the flanks in possession.

Sturridge-Suarez v Koscielny-Mertesacker

The crucial battle in this game was Liverpool’s front two against Arsenal’s centre-backs. Liverpool’s unusual formation (in Premier League terms, at least) is clearly designed to get Suarez and Sturridge playing high up the pitch, close together. The 3-5-2 means Liverpool can field two out-and-out strikers, without being overrun in the centre of midfield.

There’s a lack of creativity from deeper positions, however – Steven Gerrard was unusually quiet – and Liverpool tend to be dominated down the flanks with this formation, conceding too much pressure. They’re yet to keep a clean sheet with the 3-5-2, and Arsenal have scored in each of their Premier League matches this season.

Therefore, a rather simplified but fairly accurate overview of the game was this: if Arsenal could keep Suarez and Sturridge quiet, they would win the game.

Liverpool play direct

Liverpool played two long balls in the first couple of minutes – which is obviously not the type of football Brendan Rodgers usually requests, but it showed that Liverpool knew where their area of strength was. Arsenal rarely face two out-and-out strikers, especially the Emirates, and this was arguably Mertesacker and Koscielny’s biggest defensive test yet as a partnership.

Arsenal had two major solutions to the threat posed by Liverpool’s front two. First, Mikel Arteta played an extremely deep role in front of the defence, almost as a forward-playing centre-back at times. Flamini would have been a better player for this role, at least on paper, and Wenger would probably have fielded the duo together if possible. Arteta isn’t a natural in a role as defensive as this, but he remained in a deep position reliably, and Mertesacker was happy to pass on Suarez or Sturridge when they dropped into deeper roles.

Arteta’s interpretation of the role is reactive rather than proactive. He’s constantly darting across to make a challenge in front of the back four, and sometimes seems a yard behind the action – but he always seemed to rectify the situation with a well-timed challenge. He doesn’t have the natural positional sense of say, a Gilberto Silva in a role as defensive at this, but overall he performed well.

Second, Koscielny was at his most proactive. When playing alongside Mertesacker he’s a very forward-thinking defender who relentlessly closes down opponents when they drop into deeper positions. It wasn’t uncommon to see Koscielny closing down Suarez (or Sturridge) even if it meant moving 20 yards in front of Mertesacker. He absolutely had to win the challenges, of course, as he risked exposing Mertesacker two-against-one if Suarez dribbled past – although Arteta, again, did a good job of filling in.

And while Koscielny’s success rate wasn’t perfect, a key feature of the game was the poor dribbling statistics of Suarez and Sturridge. Had they consistently escaped Koscielny’s pressure, Liverpool would have been much more dangerous.

A particularly telling statistic, in terms of Arsenal’s defending, was that Koscielny attempted 11 tackles or interceptions in the game, and Mertesacker none. The German remained in a much deeper position and played a much calmer role – and while his lack of pace is frequently (and fairly) cited as a weakness, he consistently positions himself excellently so this shortcoming isn’t exposed.

Liverpool breaks

Liverpool were most dangerous when Jordan Henderson, fielded at the top of the midfield triangle, broke forward on the counter-attack to join the front two. There have been suggestions that Henderson would have been better off on the right, with a more creative player used as the number ten, but Rodgers’ decision to play Henderson centrally was understandable given his excellent display in this role against Arsenal last season, when his energy was crucial in Liverpool’s pressing.

Here, Aaron Ramsey played a reasonably advanced role and often left Arteta a little exposed, so Henderson could overwhelm the Spaniard on the break.

There were three promising moments in this respect. First, on six minutes when Suarez was penalised for a high foot, preventing Liverpool breaking three-on-three after a corner. Second, one nine minutes when Henderson won the ball from Santi Cazorla and drove forward into oceans of space, before delaying a decision and eventually shooting weakly. Third, when Liverpool broke from a free-kick and Bacary Sagna cynically hauled down Suarez – again Liverpool were attacking three-on-three, and were denied the opportunity to restart their move quickly by the referee.

When Liverpool broke quickly, they were dangerous, but when Arsenal got men behind the ball, they lacked incision from the midfielders.

Full-backs

Arsenal’s obvious area of strength was down the flanks, where the full-backs had plenty of space to scamper into – but when both Kieran Gibbs and Sagna advanced, it left Arsenal’s centre-backs exposed. Liverpool had to strike while Arsenal’s full-backs were unable to help.

Gibbs and Sagna attacked responsibly – one was usually cautious and in position to assist the centre-backs if passing moves broke down. Nevertheless, they had ample opportunity to get forward and take advantage of the space, and Sagna provided the crucial cross for Cazorla’s opener. Crossing has been an prominent part of Arsenal’s gameplan recently – they’ve scored from crosses or cut-backs against Norwich, Napoli, Dortmund and Crystal Palace in recent weeks.

Sagna was one of Arsenal’s better performers, and consistently won individual battles against Cissokho – who was beaten for pace on the goal, was later booked for a foul on Sagna, and was withdrawn at half-time.

You can also partly blame Liverpool’s system for the concession – as Mamadou Sakho moved out of the defence they remained two-against-one with Giroud in the centre, but Flanagan’s advanced positioning meant he wasn’t able to get back goalside of Cazorla, who found a pocket of space – a proper right-back (in a back four) would probably have been covering.

Arsenal possession play

Arsenal started by using both Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky narrow. Although this is both players’ natural style and ensured Arsenal dominated the centre of the pitch, it meant that Liverpool found it easy to press and win the ball. The away side had lots of players in central positions, and when they wanted to press, they didn’t have to cover a large distance – Arsenal might have been better off stretching the play more.

Liverpool switched to a back four for the second half, while Arsenal sat deeper

However, once Liverpool’s pressing dropped after about 15 minutes, Arsenal’s passing in the midfield zone was extremely slick. Mesut Ozil was relatively quiet, but Lucas Leiva was particularly keen to stick to him, and therefore unable to stop Arsenal’s other attacking players. Liverpool’s midfield zone seemed rather disorganised, with Gerrard and Lucas often bypassed too easily.

For long periods – especially once ahead – Arsenal took advantage of the fact Liverpool’s three-versus-one against Giroud meant Arsenal had more men in deeper positions. Arsenal always had a free player, effectively nine-against-seven across the rest of the pitch – and while they didn’t relentlessly threaten Mignolet, they calmed the tempo of the game and retained control.

On a related note, it was surprising that one Liverpool’s wide centre-backs didn’t move forward when Liverpool had the ball – they stayed in position, three-against-one with Giroud, and Liverpool lacked numbers higher up the pitch. One of the back three should have advanced, which would have enabled the relevant wing-back to push on, too.

Liverpool change shape

Rodgers changed his system after the break, moving to a 4-4-2 / 4-2-3-1 with Cissokho taken off and Coutinho on down the left flank. This was a logical change with Liverpool needing to get back into the game, and Coutinho was fielded in a very narrow left-sided role, moving inside into his favoured number ten position.

This potentially made Liverpool’s strike duo even more dangerous, but although Coutinho found space by darting inside between the lines, his attempted through-balls were consistently overhit. On his return from injury, this was a fine demonstration of the concept of ‘match sharpness’ – the Brazilian simply wasn’t on his game, and that made Liverpool’s gameplan ineffective.

Wenger was more animated than usual, and repeatedly urged his midfield to drop back and be more compact. This was a particular problem, with Arteta frequently left stranded in front of the defence, and overworked as a result. Ramsey’s advanced positioning was to blame, but the Welshman more than compensated for his relative lack of defensive support with his excellent goal. From then, he played more cautiously and the wide players protected the full-backs.

Subs

The substitutions were interesting – Rodgers brought on Victor Moses for Flanagan, and moved Henderson to right-back. He scampered forward to hit a dangerous cross into the box, prompting Wenger to bring on Nacho Monreal in his familiar role as a late defensive winger, up against Henderson. A right-midfielder at right-back was playing against a left-back at left-midfield.Thomas Vermaelen replaced Gibbs because of injury, and then Carl Jenkinson replaced Cazorla. Arsenal ended the game with two full-backs in the wide positions, summing up how keen Wenger was to protect his defence. Denied the opportunity to break directly at Arsenal’s  centre-backs, Liverpool were less threatening.

Conclusion

Wenger will be pleased Arsenal managed to stop Suarez and Sturridge from scoring, which was Arsenal’s major task. Koscielny’s aggressive positioning and Arteta’s role in front of the back four were particularly important in this regard.Going forward, Arsenal weren’t at their best – but they passed the ball slickly and were aware of the need to push the full-backs forward, taking advantage of Liverpool’s weakness out wide. They were too open at the start of the second half, but Wenger urged his side back into a good defensive shape.Rodgers’ side were eventually well beaten, but it’s hard to fault many of his decisions. It was understandable to start with the 3-5-2 given its recent success, and the decision to keep Henderson central made sense considering his performance in this game last year. His forward charges from the top of midfield allowed Liverpool to break dangerously.It was also a logical early decision to revert to the 4-4-2 with Coutinho coming inside off the flank – he was dangerous, if frustratingly ineffective with his passing. Moving Henderson to right-back, in order to accommodate another attacker also made sense, with Liverpool having a good spell of late pressure.

via Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool: Arsenal adapt well to Rodgers’ tactical decisions | Zonal Marking.

Gerrard’s Premier League 100

There may be a little bit of Mr Admin bias on this one, but a midfielder scoring 100 goals in the league is a remarkable feat. Gearrard joins fellow midfielders Frank Lampard (166), Ryan Giggs (109), Paul Scholes (107) and Matthew Le Tissier (101) in the 100 Club. It is even more remarkable given Lampard, Giggs and Scholes all played for superior title winning teams compared to Liverpool whose best finish with Gerrard in the team was second placed.

So for Liverpool fans, enjoy, even if you are not a Liverpool fan there are some pretty special goals here (Mr Admin’s favourite is the goal vs Middlsbrough at Anfield).

http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x16df1q